AN actress from Pyrton is producing and starring in a film intended to raise awareness of dementia.

Liz Mente-Bishop, 42, will play Rachel Haslam in The Wrong Goodbye, a comedy drama based on a play by Stephen Rees.

It’s the story of a man who gives up his career as a surgeon to become the sole carer of his older brother who has been diagnosed with dementia.

The project is is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society and filming is expected to begin next month.

Mrs Mente-Bishop, a mother-of three, said the script was “brilliant”. “You’re laughing and you’re learning,” she said. “It’s sensitive and thought- provoking but at the same time funny.

“What took me by surprise is how emotional I became about it.”

Her grandmother had dementia and her mother-in-law suffered from Alzheimer’s while her father-in-law, who is still alive, has vascular dementia.

Mrs Mente-Bishop said: “I was quite embarrassed how little I knew about it — and I knew people with dementia.”

The film, which will cost at least £30,000 to make, is relying on funding from Kickstarter, a project which allows people to pledge money. People who make donations above £10 will receive a gift, ranging from photographs and T-shirts to lunch with the actress and director or being an extra.

Ten per cent of any net profits made from the film will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society. People with their own stories and experiences of dementia can contact Mrs Mente-Bishop via her website, www.lizmentebishop.com